


The Great Firewall

by Johnstonmara353



Category: The Good Wife (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:28:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25104697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Johnstonmara353/pseuds/Johnstonmara353
Summary: Kalinda gives Alicia her change of address, but there’s something in her look at the end that makes Alicia pause.
Relationships: Alicia Florrick/Kalinda Sharma
Comments: 3
Kudos: 22





	The Great Firewall

The Great Firewall

Alicia/Kalinda

Summary: Kalinda gives Alicia her change of address, but there’s something in her look at the end that makes Alicia pause.

The firm was suing ChumHum again. Alicia couldn’t even remember how many times she had been in court with those people in the last year. If she was being honest, she was getting sick of seeing Viola Walsh. If it weren’t for the victim, she wouldn’t have taken the case at all. She was ashamed to have once defended the social media site. She was ashamed that since the site had not been shut down or monitored, a young man paid the price. 

It was sitting in the conference room with Kalinda that made the case worth it. Alicia was positive that the investigator was the only reason she was choosing to stay at the firm at all. She was the only one that pushed her. The only one that congratulated her and worked along side her. It didn’t matter how long Alicia stayed at the office, Kalinda rarely left before she did. Always the one to walk with her through the parking garage if she wasn’t out working on a case. She was always the one sitting behind her in court, waiting for a chance to prove their opponent wrong with evidence the investigator pulled out of nowhere. 

It was the same that night. Jackie had taken the kids to see their aunt in St. Louis, Peter was still wandering around the apartment on house arrest. Alicia had made the conscious decision not to go home at seven when most of the firm had left. She couldn’t be alone with Peter for an entire weekend. She couldn’t be trapped in her apartment with the man that she wasn’t quit sure who he was anymore. He would want to talk. He would want to know if she would eventually forgive him. He would want to know when he would be allowed in their bedroom again. She didn’t have any answers that he would like. So she stayed in the office with the one person she trusted above everyone else. 

Alicia had been working through their current case against the social media site for over an hour, when Kalinda wandered in, bag and purse in hand. The older woman smiled briefly as she glanced at Kalinda’s confused face before turning back to her files. She didn’t feel like explaining herself at the moment. She craved the quiet that the empty conference room brought. She didn’t have to listen to a random television in the background or Peter asking her what she wanted for supper. She could simply enjoy the quiet. 

Kalinda dropped her bag in the chair across from Alicia, pulled her orange notepad out, and sat down with an annoying smile. They had both been working over ten hours, her feet were sore and she knew Alicia was exhausted. But the investigator also knew the attorney was in one of her worse moods. She had been snapping at people all day. First Will when he gave her the ChumHum has that morning and then her poor assistant who was only trying to give her a message. Observing her behavior throughout the day, Kalinda chose the calm, happy route. “Find anything?”

Alicia glanced up, catching her friends smile. Her mood was slowly changing. The tension in her body slowly leaving. She shook her head as she threw the pen across the table, smiling when Kalinda caught it. “I hate when you do that?”

Kalinda tilted her head slightly, rolling the pen back across the table. “Do what? I just saw the llight on and came to check on you,” she said with a smile. She would play the happy investigator as long as it took to bring Alicia out of her current foul mood. 

There wasn’t a lot she knew about Kalinda. She couldn’t tell you her parents names, whether or not she had any siblings, or where she lived before Chicago. But she did know, Kalinda rarely smiled. Not a real smile. Alicia could count on both hands how many times she saw Kalinda smile and really mean it. It reached her eyes and made them sparkle when she was honestly happy. “Can you just let me be in a bad mood without cheering me up?”

Kalinda smiled and opened the notepad, read for anything Alicia needed. “Nope,” she smirked, pulling a few pins from her hair until it tumbled down her back. The sharp pins had been scratching her sensative scalp over the last few hours. The tension causing a slight ache at the base of her neck. “What has you in such a pissy mood tonight?”

Alicia sighed. She hadn’t wanted to talk about it. Hadn’t wanted to voice any of the negative thoughts that were swimming around in her head. But it was Kalinda. And Kalinda had her ways of getting the information she wanted. It was the smile that made Alicia finally break. She could never ignore the smile that so few had the chance to see. “Well, a social media site that was supposed to protect a young man, failed. Turning his name over to a government that they knew would react violently. And no one seems to care. Will and Diane are distracted with voting Bond out, I can’t get any information from any of the partners on how to play this case in court. I’m terrified I’m gonna fail him too. Which is making me regret taking this damn job in the first place.”

Kalinda tapped the table lightly, waiting for Alicia to catch her eyes. It was clear, the attorney was miserable. She was beating herself up for something that clearly wasn’t her fault. She didn’t release that boy’s information to people that hurt him. She didn’t have anything to do with the decision about Bond. What she did have was Will. She had her friendship with Will which was the reason she took the position in the first place. “Why?”

Alicia shook her head. When she was first offered the position at Lockhart/Gardener she was excited to be working with Will again. Excited to be on the same team. Seeing each other everyday. But that slowly changed. Her started having less time for cases and more time for politics. Fighting with Diane over whether they have enough votes to get Bond out of the firm. Bond, the same person he fought to get into the firm to begin with. The same person that had brought in an investigator that tortured Kalinda day and night. And the more she thought about the mess that was her work life, she just sighed. “Will used to care about the cases and the clients. He was so passionate when we were out of law school. We worked for the innocence project the first few years. All he ever wanted was to help people. He was so good with victims and their families. You could see how much he cared for these people and how hard he fought for them.” She glanced away. Kalinda’s stare had always been too intense for her. Sometimes she felt that Kalinda could see things inside her that she herself couldn’t see. “It’s all politics and playing with people’s lives. This was never what I wanted when I signed up to work here.”

Kalinda could see the internal battle happening inside Alicia. Whether she should stay at a firm that was no longer a place that she felt she was making a difference in or staying due to loyalty. The investigator already knew which one she would choose. The older woman was loyal to a fault. Always offering second chances. Always giving the benefit of the doubt. But she was always the one that suffered. “Why don’t you go home and cuddle those offspring of yours? Grace still looks like she would be willing.” She said softly. One sure way to change Alicia’s mood was to bring her children into the conversation. Kalinda found that information useful on long nights of research and disappointment.

Alicia shook her head, throwing the pen back on the table. “They went to St. Louis with Jackie. They won’t be back till Sunday night.”

Kalinda tossed a piece paper across the table. Smiling as Alicia began to unfold it. “I forgot to give that to you earlier. It was the real reason I stopped by on my way out.”

It was just a random address written on a piece of scrape paper. “What is this?”

Kalinda smirked. “It’s a change of address. What did you think it was?”

Alicia’s still carried that confused look. There was no name. “For who, Kalinda?” Alicia asked a little more aggravated. 

Kalinda paused, leaned her elbows on the table and quickly pointed to herself before focusing on the light green in Alicia’s eyes. “It’s mine...”

Alicia sat back in her chair. Glancing from the piece of paper in her hands to the woman that had never revealed a single secret to her. “I...I don’t think I even have your old address,” she said with a slight smile.

Kalinda brushed it off. It was what normal people did. Give their friends their new addresses. Let them know when they changed their phone number. It was normal, right? “No you have my new one.” She paused for a moment, smiling at the slight change in Alicia’s mood. “Just don’t give it to anyone.”

Alicia smiled. It felt as if she hadn’t smiled in weeks. Since she had come back to work, she had only had one friend. One confident that she could count on. She never expected Kalinda to open up to her. Alicia had actually grown to except the fact that she would never let her in. She gave the investigator her best ‘in love’ look. “I feel we’ve grown closer together,” she said jokingly. Placing the piece of paper over her heart with a goofy smile. She had only made the joke to get Kalinda to relax, even though she meant every word. It was disturbing to her that the healthiest relationship she had was with her best friend. But that didn’t mean she didn’t love that newfound relationship. 

Kalinda gave a snotty look in return, trying her hardest not to laugh. “Okay, give it back,” she said with little force, rolling her eyes at Alicia’s goofy smile. Holding out her hand like an annoyed mother waiting for the disobedient child to hand over her favorite toy. 

Alicia shook her head with a laugh. Placing the piece of paper inside her personal notepad. “Nope. This is going in my copy of Eat, Pray, Love.”

Kalinda reached across the table for the small notepad, but her hand was roughly slapped away. She pulled the hand back to her chest with a pout. “Oww...”

Alicia froze as she saw the spark ignite in Kalinda’s eyes. The pout on her face was more sexual than hurt. It didn’t help that she batted her dark eyelashes as a blush developed across her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” she muttered. 

Kalinda closed her notepad and tossed it in her purse. “It’s getting late. Why don’t you head home? I’ll come over tomorrow and we’ll see what we can find on the case.”

Alicia shook her head. Her body suddenly tense. Her attitude suddenly changing. “Kids aren’t home. I’m just gonna crash on Will’s couch for a few hours,” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

Kalinda was beginning to put the pieces together. Alicia’s constant mood swings all week. Are sudden need to figure everything out about a case in one night, at the beginning of a weekend. Something was eating at the investigator’s gut. “Alicia,” she whispered, reaching across the table, touching her hand gently. “You have my address. If you want to come over, you’re welcome. I have nothing planned this weekend.”

Alicia took her hand away, trying to quickly gather her case files. “I’m fine. I just need to figure this case out.”

Kalinda slammed her hand on the table before standing and gathering her bags. It wasn’t that she was becoming frustrated with Alicia. She was becoming frustrated with the situation that her only friend was trapped in. Wanting so badly for her marriage to work, but disgusted with his touch. She hated him for it. “Alicia, do you feel uncomfortable being alone with Peter?” Kalinda could see the lie coming before it left the attorney’s lips. “I mean tonight. You feel uncomfortable at the thought of being alone with him tonight.”

Alicia relaxed in the chair, her files magically making it in her laptop bag. “I’m not uncomfortable being alone with Peter. I hate him. I never thought that would be possible.”

Kalinda leaned against the table. “You won’t hate him forever. You’re upset over the hooker and the embarrassment.”

“No one gets it,” she whispered with a laugh. “I hated Peter before the scandal and it had nothing to do with his multiple affairs. And it had nothing to do with being embarrassed because he screwed a hooker eighteen times. It has everything to do with him being a shitty husband and father. Missing the kids birthdays, award ceremonies, and Grace’s soccer matches. Those are things that matter and he doesn’t seem to care.”

Kalinda smiled remembering Grace talking to her last week about her winning goal. She remembered proud of herself the girl was. “Grace really did kick ass in that last game. They won by five points, right?”

Alicia thought back to that winning game. Grace disappearing for ten minutes after, leaving Alicia talking with the other moms. “Grace disappeared to go find you. I didn’t know you went to that game.”

Kalinda smiled. Her fingers playing with her now loose hair. “Grace was talking about her coach trying to make her kick stronger. I used to play soccer in school. I helped her practice after school last week. That’s why she was late getting home every night.”

“I can’t believe you went to a kid’s soccer game.”

Kalinda picked up Alicia’s purse, handing it to her. “I’ve been to the last ten of Grace’s soccer matches and Zach’s science fair three weeks ago.”

Alicia picked up her bag before standing. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Kalinda shrugged. “I was there to support them and they knew I was there. I didn’t see a reason to make you uncomfortable.” 

If Kalinda hadn’t been fidgeting with her rings, Alicia might have believed that the conversation wasn’t bothering the investigator as much as it was bothering her. “You don’t make me uncomfortable. Confused maybe, but never uncomfortable,” she said with a smile. 

Kalinda handed Alicia her keys. “Stay at my place tonight. I got tequila and it’s a men-free zone.”

Alicia laughed before she motioned towards the door. “Let’s go.”

*

Kalinda’s apartment was small, but it was the perfect escape for Alicia. It was comfortable and beautifully decorated with oranges and yellows. The older woman watched as the investigator floated around, picking up articles of clothing and boots that had been left out. She allowed the younger woman to fuss around. It wouldn’t do any good for her to say anything to make her stop. Alicia was the same way when people came over unannounced. 

Alicia smiled as she watched Kalinda float back into the kitchen. “So, have my children been here without my knowledge?”

Kalinda made a face from the kitchen. “Of course not. But Grace did paint that picture that’s hanging above the couch.”

Alicia began to wander. The painting that Kalinda had pointed out was a beautiful landscape of India. She hadn’t even realized that her daughter painted. Scattered around the painting was pictures of her and Kalinda. Some of Grace playing soccer and one of Zach winning second place at the science fair. There were no pictures of Kalinda’s family. No parents. No siblings. She found a few pictures sitting on a side table of the investigator and Will. But nothing more personal. 

Alicia sat down at the bar as Kalinda began pouring shots. “Where is your family, Kalinda?”

The investigator smiled and took her first shot quickly. She knew the questions would come when she let Alicia into her private domain. But for the first time in many years, she wasn’t afraid to answer them. “My parents are still in Canada, which is where I was raised. My sister is in England working as a Peace Officer. I’m pretty sure my brother is still in India with his clinic, but I won’t know until he calls. I have a niece that’s six and loves ponies. And my ex-husband’s in prison for domestic violence and drug trafficking.”

Alicia just looked at her for a moment before taking her own shot. “Are you drunk?” she asked once the burning liquid made it down her throat. 

Kalinda smiled and took her second shot. “Not yet, but give me six more shots and we’ll see.”

“You never want to talk about yourself.”

Kalinda scuffed. Alicia wasn’t the only one that had been having a bad few days. For the investigator it was more like a bad several years. “I’m tired of being private. It’s exhausting trying to keep everything to myself. I’m tired of being lonely.”

Alicia didn’t want to take advantage of Kalinda’s sudden openness, but she didn’t want to waste the only moment she had seen in almost three years. She wanted to know everything there was to know about the mysterious investigator that flipped her life upside down in the best possible way. “What’s your birthday?”

Kalinda smiled, looking down at her third shot. It was a simple question, but one that shown meaning. “May 31st.”

“Favorite...color?”

Kalinda took the third shot. “Orange.”

Alicia smiled, allowing the second shot to linger in her throat for too long. “Why?”

“I love sunsets,” she replied, pulling a bag of opened pretzels from a cabinet and nibbling on one before placing the bag on the counter. “It’s reminds me that I get to start over. I get to do things better tomorrow. It reminds me of a phoenix rising from the ashes. Starting something new.”

Every time Kalinda opened her mouth, she drew Alicia in more. She hadn’t realized before how much emotion was in every word the investigator spoke. Hadn’t realized how much passion she had for even the smallest of things. She was beginning to feel something very different for the woman sitting across from her. A feeling she hadn’t had since she began dating Peter all those years ago. “Where were you born?”

Kalinda waved a hand to stop her while swallowing the pretzel. “I was born in India, but I’m done answering questions right now. I want to know why you don’t just kick Peter out of your apartment?”

Alicia shrugged, taking down her third shot quickly before trying to process her answer. The kids were excited that he was getting out. He needed a home plan or they wouldn’t let him out until the trial began.” She glanced at the framed picture of Kalinda and Grace holding her trophy after her win the week before. Alicia couldn’t remember one soccer game her husband went to. Couldn’t remember one time he was in the stands cheering her on. But Kalinda had managed to do it and take pictures with Grace after without her knowing. Alicia ran her fingers over the frame. She could feel Kalinda watching her but for once the lawyer wasn’t bothered by it. “How did I not know you were there? I saw you an hour before in that same outfit.”

Kalinda shrugged. “i didn’t want you to know I was there. Grace had her friend Shannon take the picture.” She took her fourth shot down slowly. Wanting to savor the burn it left in her throat. “That’s the problem with having me as your friend. I’ll always know more about you than you know about me. I will never lie to you, Alicia. But you won’t always know where I am or who I’m with. I’m a private investigator because I’ll always keep secrets for my clients. I always know more about the people I’m working for than they know about me. It’s a policy.”

Alicia smiled, following Kalinda’s shot. “You’re very open tonight,” she whispered against the rim of the glass. “If we’re being honest, I fucking hate having Peter in my apartment. I don’t want him around my kids. I don’t want him touching me. Every day I wake up and wish he was still in prison. I wish he was found guilty and was serving those ten years.”

Kalinda wasn’t shocked by the outburst. She knew it was bound to come sooner or later. She hated what that man had done to his devoted wife. He broke her and left her to build herself back up. She hated men like that. “Sleep with Will. He’s been pining for you all these years. Nice pay back for what Peter did.”

Alicia shook her head. “It would be too easy. I could just tell Peter, Will and I had dinner together and it would piss him off.” She took a sip of her last shot. “Besides, I don’t want to get back at Peter. It wouldn’t be worth it if that’s the only reason I was doing it for. I just want to finally be happy.”

Kalinda played with the pretzel bag. “Are you happy now?”

Alicia reached across the table, her fingers brushing Kalinda’s. “Sitting with my favorite person, drinking, and talking. I couldn’t be happier here.”

Kalinda, for once, didn’t pull away from the intimate contact. With others she would, but not with Alicia. “Stay here until the kids come home. what’s Peter gonna do? Call your phone to death? He sure as hell doesn’t know my phone number or where I live.”

Alicia smirked, leaning back in her chair, bringing her fingers to her face to try to cover the blush on her cheeks. “I’d actually like that. If you don’t mind having the company.”

Kalinda put the bottle of tequila back in the cabinet and closed the bag of pretzels. “I wouldn’t have offered if I minded.” The investigator slipped her leather jacket from her arms and placed it over her chair before removing her boots. “Guestroom or my room?” Kalinda whispered, leaning against the island and focusing her gaze on the attorney’s green eyes. 

The ball was back in Alicia’s court. She could take the safe route and stay in the guestroom and continue to be lonely. Or she could make the chose her head was screaming at her to make. “Your room, but I tend to hog the covers.”

Kalinda came around the island, helping the attorney shed the blazer she had been wearing all day. “That’s okay. I run hot at night anyway,” she whispered in Alicia’s ear before walking to the bedroom. 

Alicia wasn’t as shocked with Kalinda’s flirtatious behavior as she should have been. But that was the Kalinda she had always known. It was a defense mechanism. She flirted to distract people from her own discomfort. Alicia kicked off her heels, thankful that she hadn’t bothered with pantyhose, and walked slowly in the direction of the investigator’s personal domain. 

She saw a few pictures of Kalinda’s niece hanging on the walls of the hallway. A few pictures of an older couple Alicia assumed were the younger woman’s parents. She stopped at a picture of Kalinda with a boy that was maybe ten years old. He was a little blue eyed, blonde hair boy, sitting in Kalinda’s lap in the middle of a yard. Her friend looked happier in that picture. She could see the younger woman standing in the doorway, already in a baggy t-shirt and shorts. “Who is he?”

Kalinda took in a shaky breath. Her arms crossing over her chest. “His name is Kyle. He’s my step-son. He’s fifteen now.”

Alicia left the photo, taking a few steps closer to the woman she had come to admire above anyone else. “Where is he?”

Kalinda glanced away. It wasn’t a part of her life she chose to relive. And she fought hard to keep those dark memories from consuming her. But she was lonely. And Alicia was standing right in front of her. “He lives in Canada with my ex-mother in law. I haven’t seen him in five years. I lost all parental rights after that picture was taken. I call every now and then, but he won’t speak to me.”

Alicia leaned against the opposite side of the door frame. “Why?”

Kalinda could feel the tears building. “I sent his father to prison for beating me. I fought so hard for custody. I wanted him so badly. In the end, the judge decided Kyle should be with biological family. He was ripped from my arms in the middle of our kitchen. It took three cops to hold me down. I can still hear his screams.” She felt Alicia gently wipe the tears away. “He was calling for me and I couldn’t do anything. Nick knew the only thing I cared about was that boy. And he took him from me. I raised him from three years old. I was there for everything. Every time I close my eyes I hear those screams. I see him fighting and crying for me.” She turned into Alicia’s hand. She had never opened up her soul for anyone. Kalinda just hoped Alicia wouldn’t let her fall. “That’s why I like being there for Zach and Grace. I enjoy spending time with them. And it reminds me of that time. I was always happy when I was with that boy.”

Alicia brushed the few tears away that ran down Kalinda’s face. “You have as much access to them as you want. I’m fine with them being with you and you don’t have to hide it anymore,” she whispered, brushing the stray hairs behind the investigator’s warm ear. “I’m sorry, Kalinda. I’m sorry this was done to you.”

Kalinda took a deep breath. It had been a long time since she cried over her son. Most days, she could ignore the ache that tore through her heart like hot iron. But that night, her heart had burst wide open. “It’s okay. It’s good to talk about him. Helps me remember the way he used to giggle. Or the way he used to crawl in bed with me in the morning because I was always the warmest.” The young woman was lost in her thoughts. Kyle’s four year old smile flashing through her mind. “They way he clung to my leg the first day of pre-school. He came home crying saying he ‘missed mama too much’. We pulled him out of school and enrolled in a homeschooling program.” Kalinda had been focusing on the sweet memories that were flashing through her mind for the first time in years. She hadn’t noticed Alicia smiling at her until she felt her friends hand run softly down her arm. The investigator quickly wiped her face. “I’m sorry. You didn’t come here for this.”

Alicia caught her chin between her fingers. “I came here to spend time with you. Whatever you want to talk about is fine with me.” She motioned inside the bedroom. “Do you have anything for me to sleep in?”

Kalinda wiped away the remaining tears before moving back into the room. She rummaged through the top drawer before pulling out a spare t-shirt and shorts. “These should fit. They’re too long on me. The bathroom is through the door right outside the bedroom.”

Alicia takes the clothes with a smile. “Because I’m afraid that you’ll see me naked? I think I’ve seen more of you tonight that you’ve ever seen of me.” She watched Kalinda nod with an amused smile before crawling into bed and under the covers. Now the investigator looked exhausted. Her eyes were red and puffy. Her nose and cheeks were slightly pink. The older woman quickly changed, placing her folded clothes in the corner chair. She climbed under the sheets, curling on her side to face the younger woman. “Tell me more about Kyle.” she whispered, as she switched off the light. But even with just the moonlight coming in through the window, Alicia could still see Kalinda’s tear stained face. 

Kalinda gave a sleepy smile. Curling her hands underneath her chin like a child would do before drifting off to sleep. “He gave the best hugs. Whenever I would be away for the day, he would always be waiting for me. Running across the carpet in his socks. No matter what, he was always happy to see me. He always made me laugh.” Kalinda closed her eyes, reaching blindly for Alicia’s hand. When she finally felt the lawyers fingers against her own she continued. “I was the only one that could tuck him in at night because ‘Daddy couldn’t do it right’. He would only eat toast in the morning because everything else hurt his stomach. He loved playing with his dinosaurs on the kitchen floor while I made lunch.” The investigator felt the wall she had built around herself shatter open. The tears started rolling silently down her face. She felt the bed dip as Alicia moved closer to her. “He made me laugh all the time,” she whispered as she felt Alicia’s hand on her cheek. Everything in her overactive brain was telling her not to open her eyes. That she wouldn’t be prepared for what Alicia’s face would reveal to her. But her heart begged her. Begged for the closeness that her body craved. 

Alicia watched as her eyes fluttered open. Her beautiful brown eyes wet with tears. But she smiled. And Alicia finally saw every secret pass through Kalinda’s eyes. She could see the sweet, beautiful woman that had been hidden behind that wall for so long. Alicia caressed her cheek gently. “There she is,” she whispered before kissing her forehead. “I was wondering if you would let down that wall.”

Kalinda sniffled, but smiled. “There was never a wall for you, Alicia. You’ve always been in.” She pushed herself away slightly, trying to get her tears under control. “I must look awful.”

Alicia pushed the hand away that attempted to cover her face. If she was jumping into the water she might as well go for the deep end. She wanted to see it all. She wanted to see Kalinda’s tears. And she wanted to be the one that stopped them. As the moments passed, the more Alicia wanted to be the one that would always dry her tears. She wanted to be the person that would never make her cry. “You look beautiful. You look like a strong woman that fought like hell to get her life back.”

Kalinda’s hand covered Alicia’s. The lawyer’s touch was both breaking her and putting her back together. And she wanted more. “I’m tired of being alone,” she whimpered. 

Alicia moved closer. She could feel the heat rolling off Kalinda’s body. “You’re not alone anymore. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.” She rested her forehead against the younger woman’s. “I’m not leaving you. I’m in this for the long haul.”

The words meant so much more to Kalinda than she feared Alicia meant. She wanted the words to mean everything she had ever wanted to hear. And as her mind was beginning to spin all over again, she felt soft, warm lips against her own. Alicia’s lips gently moving against her own. A slow exploration. Testing limits and pushing boundaries. Kalinda was the first to pull away. Smiling and nuzzling Alicia’s nose with her own. “Alicia...” she barely whispered.

The attorney kissed her again, just as sweetly. Just as slowly. “We’ll talk in the morning,” she whispered against Kalinda’s lips. Pulling her into the crook of her arm. “I’m not going anywhere.”


End file.
